


Jasmine of the Black Lagoon

by Hallowtide



Category: Black Lagoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Animal Instincts, F/M, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 05:35:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2610377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hallowtide/pseuds/Hallowtide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Airi Okajima thought she was getting a promotion when Asahi Industries sent her to the South China Sea, but when two pirates, Dutch, and a maroon coloured hair man, Rio, take over the boat, her life, and the Lagoon Companies, is changed forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Black Lagoon franchise. I do not own any of the characters depicted apart from my own original characters, nor do I share any of the beliefs the characters in this story express. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.
> 
> Viewer discretion is advised as this is a rated ‘M’ story.

Graduating from a national university, Airi Okajima somehow managed to make it into the corporate world. It was a business man’s town, where woman were expected to be educated, yet marry young and retire thus hence. Airi, being a woman, was basically the corporate slave, getting orders yelled at her all day long. At the same time, she hoped to one day be in her bosses place. It was the only way she could maintain her sanity. It was the city of winter. Where Airi Okajima once lived.

It all seemed so far away. Right now, all that was in front of her was the shimming water of the South China Sea. Or that was what she was supposed to be seeing, yet that was definitely not the case now. Instead, from her place where she had been roughly pushed down by a large African-American man, she watched the pirates, or the people who she assumed were pirates, point guns at her and the other passengers. Beside the older man was another younger, meaner looking man, probably her age or a bit older, with spiky maroon hair. He wore blue jeans and a black wife beater with a tribal tattoo design going up his right arm to his neck, and Airi startled when his cold, unfeeling eyes locked onto her as the African-American wearing camouflage pants and a flak jacket spoke to her while cocking his gun “alright Miss Japanese, I’ll ask you one more time. The package you got from the Asahi Industries headquarters in Tokyo, the one you were in charge of until you handed it to the Chief in Borneo, this is it right?”.

Airi’s shivers got worse when the maroon haired man dead eyes followed a bead of sweat down her neck and into the Japanese business women’s black bikini, making Airi incredibly nervous and self conscious she pulled her legs up to her body and wrapped her arms around them to cover herself “Yes, but.....” the African-American spoke over her “we’re all done with you now. You’ve given us what we wanted”. Airi couldn’t help the whimper that escaped as the maroon haired man glanced at the older “Dutch, this is a pain-in-the-ass. I say we take them all out, they’ll be no secrets after that once she see’s us start taking out the other passengers”.

“There’s no need for that, that one little disc is more than enough compensation” The African-American, or Dutch Airi presumed, told his co-worker. The maroon haired man’s eyes connected with her dark brown ones, his eyes watching her thoughtfully “you call that compensation?”. Their two-way radio sounded with some static before another man’s voice was heard on deck “Dutch? Hey Dutch? You both done yet? There’s something headed straight for us out of the Bay. It’s probably a patrol boat from the Filipino Navy”. The maroon haired man scoffed, disconnecting his eyes from that of the pretty, scantily clad Japanese women before him.

“Don’t worry Benny-Boy, it’s all been taken care of, start the engines” Dutch informed the man on the other side of the radio, and the sound of a boats engine filled the air. “Now listen up gentlemen! We’re going to disappear! Then you’ll all be free to go! But I’m warning you, the deals off if anyone decides to come after us. What you see there is a torpedo launcher, if you don’t wonna go home in what’s left of your ship, I recommend you stick put for half-an-hour, after that your free to do as you wish!”.

Airi shuddered, out of relief or just a release of pent up tension “thank god, they’re letting them live”. The maroon haired man growled down at her, his gun pointing at her face “what are you so relaxed about? You’re going to tag along with us, baby girl”. Airi stiffened, dark brown eyes wide she stared speechless up at him “get up, and walk”. When the maroon haired man decided she wasn’t moving fast enough, he grabbed her arm and heaved her to her feet, keeping her up right when her knee’s started to collapse out of fright.

* * *

 

Airi sat dejectedly against the wall of the inner cabin, with the sense that Japan was getting increasingly farther away. Dutch sat at the controls “Lagoon to Balalaika. Can you hear me?”. Silence from the other side of the radio before a deep voice replied “just fine Dutch. What about the catch?”. Airi stiffened, turning, feeling the gaze of a predator eyeing her. She shuddered seeing the maroon haired man’s eyes on her again, making her curl into a tighter ball and trying to be out of the way as to not provoke these men “I’ve got it of course” she faintly heard Dutch reply. A dry chuckle from the other side of the radio “I admire smart work”. Dutch replied stoically as ever “the tradeoff goes as planned?”. Another sound of humor from the other side of the radio “Yes just as I promised”.

As Dutch hanged up he turned his gaze to the small women trying to play invisible even when he’s sure his employee hadn’t taken his eyes off her since he dragged her aboard. Dutch turned his eyes to his maroon haired employee “Rio, what in the hell were you planning to do with this hostage now that you brought her with us? Come on!”. Airi watched, in what she guessed was morbid curiosity as these men decided her fate. Rio, the maroon haired man, finally stopped staring at her and leaned back against the bench he was sitting on “you don’t get it do ya? You just don’t get it Dutch! Think about it, we’re being paid twenty grand for this job, just twenty grand! What’s wrong with collecting a bonus?”.

A voice from further in the cabin replied before the African-American could “your being too simple minded”. Rio turned with a snarl towards a blonde haired man in an orange Hawaiian shirt and white khaki pants in the doorway “you wonna die Benny?!”. The blonde haired man turned back to his work “not really”. Dutch picked up the original argument “whose going to negotiate with Japan? You? Do you have their phone number? How about a bank account to receive the ransom? “. The maroon haired man growled loudly, kicking a box that his feet were originally resting on “you don’t get it!”. Airi watched wide eyed as the maroon haired man, Rio, raged around the cabin, letting out a whimper when a large splinter of wood came her way and cut her cheek. “Damnit Rio stop trashing my ship!” Dutch charged Rio and put him in a tight choke hold, Rio’s face quickly losing its blind rage as the larger man held him still “I get it Dutch. I get it”. Dutch tightened his hold around Rio’s neck “you get what?”. Rio growled, his eyes frantically going around the cabin before pinning itself on the shivering Japanese lady’s, his eyes watching a droplet of blood slide slowly down her cheek from an injury on her face. “I get your point now, so let me go” Rio said, as calmly as he could but the chaos was still there in a low under current.

“Okay Rio, but play it cool” Dutch stepped back from the maroon haired man, eyes weary. Dutch looked towards their ‘guest’ seeing her eyes terrified and watching them intently “women. Let’s go top side and talk”. 

* * *

 

Airi sat against the outside of the control room, the large African-American man, Dutch, sitting beside’s her and handing her a cigarette. She’s never smoked before, but now is as good as any time to start “what’s going to happen to me?” she tensely asked. “I guess we make contact with your company somehow then we’ll try and set up a trade” Airi heard the almost hidden hesitation under laying his words. “You don’t sound completely sure of that” Dutch glanced at her from behind his darkly tinted sunglasses. “Surprising you caught that. I don’t mean to alarm you, but it’s Rio. I get the impression, how do I put it, he has other plans” Dutch was silent for a moment, watching her reaction, surprise and maybe a little interest flicking when she didn’t look all that surprised.  “That was my impression as well” Airi closed her eyes and shifted so her back was a little more comfortable against the hard metal “I take it you guys don’t go kidnapping women all that often then?”. Dutch laughed a little, taking a long drag of his cigarette “no, not at all. For as long as I’ve know Rio, he’s never looked at a women twice, nor shown any carnal interest in them what so ever. Men or women. He’s just not that sort of animal”. Airi’s eyes opened to peer at the man besides her “that’s way you’re confused about his behavior. Then, we both saw his reluctance to trade me for ransom with my bosses. Which, may I add, will probably not happen if you decided to hand me over. I’m just a minor employee”.

Dutch puffed out a long stream of smoke “your very attune to your surroundings aren’t you?  I don’t know his plan’s, but if they are of a violent nature, which doesn’t surprise me with Two-Hands, if it seems like you’re in mortal danger there isn’t much I can do”.  Airi sighed “I know, I’m just a guest on your boat, he is your employee. I know whose side you need to be on”. There was silence as both were deep in thought. “We have our own priorities, that’s just the way it is. Getting the disc to our client has got to come first” Dutch said at last. Airi flicked the cigarette out into the ocean while Dutch handed her a newly lit one “so there’s a client, makes sense I guess”. Dutch stared out at the ocean “we’re nothing more than delivery boys; sometimes we gotta break the rules to put food on the table. But that’s business, what Rio wants from you, is personal”.

Airi had calmed her nerves since coming outside with Dutch, and she couldn’t help the sense that stockholm syndrome was creeping in. She felt safe besides this man. Safer then she’s ever felt. Airi was pulled out of her thoughts by Dutch “What’s your name?”. She also turned her face towards the cool ocean breeze “Airi. Airi Okajima”. A small smile from the large man “what does your name mean?”. A softer smile, eyes drifting back to his sun glasses “Jasmine” .


	2. Chapter 2

Airi was stepping hesitantly down the ladder when she suddenly felt a body behind hers, and two large hands covered her own over the steel of the boats ladder railings “that was a very long talk, Jasmine”. Airi shivered at the tone of his voice as he whispered what she guessed was going to be her name while she travelled with them, her breathing quickened feeling Rio boxing her against the steps and his chest pressing against her back “you’re not trying to escape by seducing Dutch are you?”. Airi turned her face to his in anger, but her eyes widened when seeing his eyes were dead cold. He smirked, one hand trailing up the skin on her side that the bikini didn’t cover, his hand suddenly fisting itself in her long wavy black hair “like he said, he won’t do shit to stop me, so. Don’t. Piss. Me. Off”.  His eyes suddenly lowered slightly from her eyes to the cut on her cheek, irritation flashing over his face. Airi closed her eyes and whimpered a little when he licked the cut with his tongue. As his tongue swept over the stinging cut a second time, her hands tightened on the railings when she felt him shift closer and press his erection into the small of her back. Once all traces of blood where gone from her cheek he let her go, crossing his arms and watching her sag slightly from relief. His eyes trailed over her tinted skin, smirking at the small blush on her cheeks as she turned hesitantly to face him.

Airi was startled when he suddenly started taking off his shirt, jumping when it flew towards her and hit her in the face. Looking down at it her eyes lifted to his dark ones “it gets cold at sea at night”. As he started to turn away from her, Airi was pulled out of her stupor “Rio?”, the unfamiliar name sliding out hesitantly, she watched as he stopped in the doorway, not turning back to her she said, a little more steadily then before “thank you”. 

* * *

 

Dutch watched on as their Japanese guest, now clad in a large black tank top with the bottom of her swimming short-shorts barely visible beneath the edges when she walked, jumped onto the dock unsteadily besides him, following her was Rio clad in a new shirt. Rio and Dutch’s eyes met briefly before he looked down at the short Asian beauty again “so I take it you’re going to join us, Jasmine?”. Airi’s still wide eyes looked up into his sun glasses “not you too” she pouted slightly, humour in her eyes. Dutch laughed a little, Benny coming up besides the halted group “hell of a lot easier than your real name”. Benny grinned at her “so you coming or what?”, only Dutch being aware of Rio’s lips moving in a silent snarl at the long blonde haired computer genius. Airi turned to face the new comer on the dock “where are we going?”.

* * *

 

As the four walked into some bar by the name of ‘Yellow Flags’, Airi couldn’t help but notice that while Benny seemed to be oblivious, Dutch at least noticed and was keeping an eye on Rio as he walked slowly by her side, his hands stuffed into his pockets but his sharp eyes death staring anyone who so much as walked two feet from her. Sitting at the counter, Airi watched wearily as Rio hovered by her side for a few seconds before sitting beside her, his hand going underneath her stool and pulling her’s closer to his, almost making her fall off. “Rio?” she asked hesitantly, watching him tensely eyeing the other customers, who, she noticed, had guns atop every table in sight. His eyes went to her’s, and he visibly relaxed some seeing her confused expression, yet he didn’t say anything, just turned to face the bartender and slump a little over the counter.

Airi herself discreetly watched the other customers for a moment before turning slightly amused eyes to Dutch “is this the so called ‘bar at the end of the world’ that you see in Westerns?". The other three members of the little group couldn’t help but smirk “good analogy. This place was founded by Southern Vietnamese soldiers who survived the war, then they started taking in enemy soldiers too and before we knew it the place had gone straight to hell” Dutch said sipping a drink calmly while a brawl between two men started behind them “hookers, junkies, mercenaries, hit men, unredeemable criminals. Every one of us. Guess it’s not really your style, ha Jasmine?”. Rio lifted his eyes to glare at Dutch over Airi’s head, Airi, now Jasmine officially apparently, was stumped at the maroon haired man’s behaviour, his possessiveness over her. Airi’s lips twitched as a swearing battle loud enough to wake the dead erupted somewhere behind them “I usually try to avoid confrontation”. Dutch put his cigarette butt in an over flowing ash tray “your expression says it all. Benny, I’m gonna make a call”.

Benny moved over into Dutch’s seat and to Airi’s right side, Rio stopping lifting his drink partway to his lips and stiffening “Dutch is a little bit unusual. After being around him for two years all I can tell you is that he’s tough, intelligent and eccentric. So you should give up in trying to figure him out” Benny lifted his drink and Airi smiled at him, eyes weary and lifting her own drink of coke and rum to clink against his. “You seem different to the other people around here, no offense. What’s your position in all of this?” Airi asked curiously sipping her finger print smudged glass.

“From a college in Florida. I was fooling around and managed to piss off the Mafia and the FBI at the same time. And then...” Airi jumped when Rio suddenly appeared in-between them, interrupting “then yours truly stepped in and saved his ass before it was stuck in a suitcase and thrown overboard.  Stop the worthless storytelling, your too young to be reminiscing” Rio lifted a shot and gulped it quickly, his eyes already a little brighter because of the alcohol. “Now it’s time for all of us to go shot-for-shot” Rio lined three shots up in front of them, Airi sure he was brushing his arm up against hers on purpose “we came all the way here to have a drink, let’s talk about something a little more interesting, Jasmine”. Rio smirked at her as she eyed her shot, wincing already because it was straight from the bottle and with no coke to sweeten the taste and save her taste buds. Rio chuckled, gulping down an over flowing shot.

* * *

 

Rio suddenly stopped mid drink, catching Airi’s attention since she’s watched him chug half a bottle of rum and there was still no change or any indication he was slowing down. “Rio?” She asked, a blush on her cheeks from her own slight alcohol intake, she had a sudden worry he was going to collapse because of alcohol poisoning. The bar become alarmingly quiet as a metallic click from a flying object flew through the door and bounced along the ground before exploding in the middle of the bar and gun fire came in through the windows from the outside.

Screams erupted from the working girls, and some return fire from the people still alive inside, while Airi just became aware that arms had gone around her waist and pulled her onto the ground to the bartender’s side of the bar before everything went chaotic. Airi knelt at Rio’s side with her hands covering her ear’s while he calmly sat there with an arm still around her waist sipping from a rum bottle. “Rio!” the bartender yelled from the maroon haired man’s other side “are these assholes your friends? Then you better deal with them!”. Rio took another swig from his bottle, eyes dead ahead as his arm tightened a little around her “don’t know them”. Rio tilted his head as gun fire rained down on them but made high metallic noises when it hit the side of the counter “wow, you bullet proofed the bar” he said, Airi getting the impression he was impressed. Dutch’s voice cut across the battle field inside the bar “Rio?!”. The maroon haired man’s attention turned elsewhere “I’m okay!” as his eyes looked down at the cowering Airi “noisy bunch of brat’s ha?”. Dutch called again “Benny? Jasmine?”, just as Benny crawled by Dutchs feet “miraculously I’m alive!” while Rio smirked down at the Japanese women by his side “Jaz is with me!”. Airi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow “a nickname within a nickname, really Rio?”. He HHe just grinned at her, eyes alight because of the gun fight blazing around them, and flicked the tip of her nose “a pet name”.

Airi’s eyes narrowed at him slightly, and she was about to reply when a grenade went off very close to where they were sitting. Rio looked slightly annoyed at the interruption while Dutch called back over to them again “Rio! I think this is a good time to show them why your called Two-Hands!”. Rio cocked his gun, arm tightening around her before letting go completely while he drew his other Cuttlass, a pair of modified Beretta 92FS's. He glanced at her and she could already see his eyes becoming less amused and more serious “I didn’t go to the trouble of kidnapping you just for you to get shot now”. Airi nodded, eyes worried while a grin suddenly danced over his face when he noticed her concern. He suddenly swooped down to her height and kissed her, Airi gasping in shock which let him slip his tongue inside her mouth and stroke hers for a moment before he pulled back completely. Airi just stared into his cheshire grinning face in shock before he winked and jumped over the counter top. The bartender looked at her in almost as much shock as she felt at the fleeting kiss, when the shock cleared from her lust fogged mind and she hit her fist against the ground “Damnit Rio!”.

Airi curiously, and hesitantly, peeked over the edge of the bar, watching as Rio moved with almost superhuman agility while shooting down the enemy. She couldn’t help but be in awe. She yelped when a bullet grazed the counter near where she was, causing Rio to growl and attack the man that shot at her, shooting him in the chest then jumping on him and shooting him again in the head. Slowly, as to not draw to much attention she crawled over to Benny and Dutch, the latter who was covering Rio as he lost himself in the battle.

Dutch chuckled humorously when Airi crawled past “after that little kiss I guess trading you in or leaving you here isn’t an option”. Airi scowled at him, flattening her body to the ground and shielding her head when a bullet strayed to close. “That was never an option Dutch!” Rio yelled over the sounds of dying, causing the two other employee’s of the Lagoon Company to grin at each other while Airi just narrowed her eyes at them all.  


	3. Chapter 3

Back on the boat, Rio had finally tracked down Airi after she disappeared after speaking to her boss. He’d watched, tense, as she calmly spoke to her boss over the phone that Benny had set up to negotiate her ransom, becoming increasingly alarmed by her stiff shoulder’s and pale cheeks. He would have stalked along behind her when she said she was getting some air, but Dutch had held him back. Swearing under his breath and crossing the deck he sat besides the small Asian women, getting increasingly more agitated when she said nothing. After a few more minute’s he said “I take it the talk didn’t go well?”.

Airi’s weary eyes turned to him, a small, half-hearted smile briefly crossing her face “no”. Rio stretched his legs out in front of him, and leaning back against the outside of the cabin Airi yelped when he suddenly gripped her forearm and pulled her across his lap to sit between his now bent legs. As arms wrapped around her waist she was, once again, trapped by the maroon haired man, and she shivered remembering the kiss from the bar ‘Yellow Flags’ earlier when his lips touched her ear “you know I’m not letting you go, right?”. Airi relaxed some, not sure why the statement made everything her boss said to her seem insignificant, her lips twitched into a hesitant smile when she replied “I know”, knowing, and acknowledging, that he meant more than just letting her leave from his embrace.

* * *

 

A few minutes of silence later, Airi was still sitting between Rio’s legs, yet now she was leaning completely against his chest with his chin atop her head and her hand’s tracing across the small scars littering his hands and what she could reach on his arms. All of a sudden Benny’s voice came from their ear pieces “Rio, Jasmine, you guys still up on deck?”. Rio growled softly in her ear, Airi becoming amused as he very clearly irritably replied “what?”. Benny’s voice could be heard surrounded by beeping alarms on his computers “I’m picking up something and its coming straight at us but it’s not a boat. It’s way too fast. It’s at three hours five minutes, can you see anything?”. Rio lazily tilted his head in the appointed direction, eyes narrowing he swore under his breath as he helped Airi stand and watched a black dot near the horizon making their way towards them.

“It’s a gun ship! At minimal altitude!” Rio growled into his ear piece, distracted as Airi stared at the approaching black dot, the terrified paleness returning to her face. Dutch swore through the line “an attack helicopter?” as it flew dangerously close by the ship  Rio had just finished herding Airi towards the cabin door as the ship rocked to the side suddenly, Rio having to grab Airi before she was smashed against the metal of the cabin. “Stay inside, and protect your head, you hear?” Rio growled in her ear as he hugged an arm around her waist before letting go and grabbing a rifle that was in a nearby crate. 

Airi was just stumbling into the control room when Dutch yelled through the ear piece link “this isn’t good, we’re in serious shit!”. The boat rocked dangerously from side-to-side as the attack helicopter started firing at the Black Lagoon. Airi stood a little besides Dutch watching on as Rio shot from the outside at the helicopter, holding on and making sure nothing too heavy fell on either herself or Dutch as they were being attacked. And then as suddenly as it begin, the shooting stopped.

* * *

 

Airi was kneeling besides Rio after she managed to, surprisingly, get him to sit down so she could bandage a bullet graze of his upper arm when Dutch brought up a good point “hey Benny, doesn’t this seem kind of weird to you?”. Rio was studying the small Asian women besides him with an unrecognisable feeling, unsure about what to feel about someone actually looking after him and bandaging his injuries. “Yeah something’s not right” Benny’s voice answered Dutch over the ear piece link they all wore “they’ve stopped firing completely. They could have easily made us into Swiss cheese by now”. Dutch made a thoughtful sound, his eyes glancing at the two sitting on the floor a little-a ways-from-him “no doubt. Something’s wrong here”.

Rio smirked at Airi, almost, it seemed, in gratitude, before he stood and leaned against Dutch’s seat while watching Airi put the First Aid Kit back together and start picking up the fallen things all over the floor in the control room. “Dutch what the hell’s going on? Where’d those guys go?”. Dutch spoke through the link again “Benny-Boy?”. A little bit of static before “yeah, it looks like they’ve fallen back about five thousand metres and are still tailing us from that distance”.

“What do these guys want anyway?” Benny continued on thoughtfully, with maybe a little irritation. Airi was studying a map that was pinned to the wall of the cabin “a channel?”. There was silence from the men in the control room before they both growled “Damnit the channel!”.  Benny was shaking his head in anger “that’s it! The channel!”. Airi moved to stand besides Rio, the maroon haired man patting her head in congratulations in finding out about the river, but she could see that his body was tense.

“The path ahead of us is filled with rocks and mangroves, and they must have figured that out. The further we go the tighter it’s going to get. In the end we won’t be able to take evasive removers” Dutch said, his voice still calm. Rio growled from besides Airi, his eyes still watching her before looking to his boss “let’s turn this boat around and get the hell outta here”. Dutch nodded in agreement, his hands going to the controls while Airi steadied herself as the boat turned with the back of Dutch’s chair. “Damnit!” Rio snarled, his arm going around Airi’s back while he too used Dutch’s chair to balance himself when the enemy started shooting at them from above.

Dutch was swerving, evading the shots erratically when he was forced into a river’s mouth. Silence from above when they stopped shooting, and Dutch was the first to speak “you better not say I suck at this. But I guess I can’t redeem myself now right?”. Rio sighed, his hand still on Airi’s back where she was trembling a little from the attack “well, I wouldn’t say that”.

“I didn’t have any other options, I had to evade to the right” Dutch said, almost but not quite in dismay; the first time Airi’s heard anything other than calm or humour in his voice. “Yeah we know that” Airi said, glancing down at him. Well only slightly down since he was almost her height standing when he was sitting down. The boat continued down the river, and it was becoming less likely by the minute to find a way to escape. “The enemy is behind us again, he’s looking down on us from about five thousand metres back right now” Benny said over the com link.

Airi watched from the window as a rusty, sunken ship went past them on the bank of the river while they raced by. Rio stood with his arms crossed, snorting at the image “check that out. A sunken ship. What a bad omen”. Airi raised an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugged back at her, a little smirk twitching at his lips. “Dutch, they just stopped by that sunken ship and they’re hovering there. They’re not chasing us anymore” Benny’s voice over the ear piece again.

Airi moved back over to Dutch’s side, eyes worried “it’s not worth the energy for them to follow us”. Dutch glanced at her, nodding in agreement of the situation “that’s exactly what this means”. They continued down the river, in vain hope of finding an escape, until all traces of hope were extinguished when they came to the end of the river where cliffs and waterfalls blocked any means of escape. “My gut tells me he put us here on purpose, they wonna finish us off face-to-face” Rio said, a soft growl sneaking into his words. Dutch chuckled in black humour “who wants to ring their God?” Dutch lit a cigarette, sitting back in his chair and getting comfortable “it’s not something that happens every day, but once in awhile you’ll find them around. Wonna-be VETS who like to pretend they’re cowboys”.

“How bad’s the ship?” Rio asked, taking a long drag of his own cigarette. “So far she’s not looking to bad, but I’m more worried about those things. If even a single bullet hits a torpedo, we’ll all be flying to the moon”.  Rio made a noise of irritation while Dutch continued “I always figured I’d end up using them for something”. Benny popped up besides Airi where she was standing back leaning against the cabin wall deep in thought “I know it’s a waste, but maybe we should throw those over board?”.

Dutch sighed “I guess we have no choice” as Dutch was moving his hands to eject the torpedos, Airi’s eyes suddenly snapped open “wait! Dutch! Listen, I’ve figured something out. Now that I’ve had time to think. Hear me out, I say we go face-to-face with these guys”. Dutch and Benny both chuckled “you’re definitely Mrs. Two-Hands, that’s for sure with that sort of thinking”. Airi scowled at them for breaking her concentration but she tracked forwards “if you think about it, with this boat’s armour, its speed, that sunken ship we past, I’m pretty sure we have everything we need “. Dutch and Benny weren’t laughing now, Dutch even looked interested, and he glanced at Rio’s proud and pleased expression before saying “what the hell do you have in mind anyway?”.

* * *

 

 As the Black Lagoon was racing back the way they came, Dutch lit Airi a cigarette “Rio, you sure managed to pick yourself up one crazy Mrs Two-Hands. Jasmine, you’ve got to be completely insane” Dutch smiled sadistically, Airi and Rio echoing it with their own little evil smiles “but the idea’s exciting. And what’s the point in life if you can’t get excited?”

* * *

 

Airi and Rio were now up on deck, Airi clinging to some of the ships railings and holding a flare-gun while Rio stood beside her with a rifle “Jasmine, you know what you gotta do right?”. Airi scoffed at Dutch, rolling her dark eyes at Rio who grinned back at her “if they fire a missile, shoot the signal flare away from the boat”. Dutch laughed at her, hearing the dark excitement in her voice “you got it!”. Wind raced past the boat, Airi’s long black hair trailing around behind her and lashing out at everything. The black wife beater Rio gave her earlier was now tight against her body, tied at the bottom of one side with an elastic hair tie so as to not distract her or catch on anything at a crucial moment.

“ I see it guys, get ready!” Dutch yelled, while Rio just grinned viciously and lifted his anti-tank rifle to shot, and challenge, the enemy. They took the bait, and while moving into position Rio yelled over the wind “Jaz, their coming! Shot the flare!”. Airi pulled the trigger, grinning as it flew away from the ship, attracting the heat-seeking missiles, and blowing up on impact. Rio and Airi grinned at each other about the explosion, while Benny yelled over the ear piece “we’re on the alpine course now! Both of you get back in the cabin!”.

As Rio herded Airi back inside the control room, he held Airi’s arm in an almost bruising grip as the rusty ship wreck came into position. Benny’s voice yelled over the ear pieces “three hundred feet to go. One-fifty!”. Dutch grinned, his hands squeezing the controllers as Rio barricaded Airi into a corner with his body. “One hundred!” Benny yelled; the stress and excitement easy to hear over the howling wind. Then, they were air born.

* * *

 

When Dutch came to, it was deathly quiet in the cabin, and groaning he said “well, it feels like my heads still attached. My sun glasses aren’t broken. Amen, hallelujah, and peanut butter”. He glanced back behind him, shaking his head and smirking when seeing Rio curled around Jasmine with his arm’s still protecting her head even while they were both still unconscious. “Benny you okay?” he asked over the com link, still watching the pair on the ground “yeah, I’m alive somehow. But all my instruments are fucked. We’re gonna havta fix all this up when we get home. Hold on a minute. Rio and Jasmine okay?”. Dutch laughed, kicking Rio’s shoe with his steel-toed boots “they’re past out behind me. They were yelling like maniacs right before we hit them. Just like a pair of crazy-ass-mother-fuckers”.  Benny laughed as well “yeah, the last thing I remember is them both yelling ‘you got fucked’ before everything went dark”.

* * *

 

When Rio came to, he was sprawled out rather comfortably with a cold, wet cloth over his eyes. Sitting up suddenly when everything came back his eyes darted around frantically “don’t sit up so fast!” he turned his head, the tension draining away a little when Airi came to sit beside him “you’ve got a nasty cut on your head. Better take it easy for a few minutes”.  Airi smoothed down some of his maroon spikes, frowning at how some of it was mattered with blood, while he just watched her silently, noting the concern, and being, surprising for him, pleased.

Airi yelped when Rio suddenly tugged her into his side, his eyes on the cut on her eyebrow before her eyes got wide and she started, gently, pushing him away “no Rio, it’s fine, really, Rio!” she yelled when he ignored her and started to lick the cut. Growling softly to herself, her eyes narrowed when she heard Benny and Dutch laughing loudly “oh fuck off” she murmured as Rio ignored them all and proceeded to clean away the blood.


	4. Chapter 4

Back on shore, Airi was standing between Dutch and Rio as the former talked with a scar faced man by the name of Balalaika. He was in a cream coloured suit and was waiting for them when they arrived. His hair was spiky and blonde, and he had multiple scars on his face and his glacier eyes sparkled at the state they were in. When they first got off the Black Lagoon, his blue eyes had watched Airi in interest, smirking when Rio pushed her behind him and glared at the older man.

Behind Balalaika were some Russian men, body guards she assumed, with automatic guns, the closest to him also had spiky hair but was a brown colour with hints of grey. He had a massive scar coming down from his left temple to across his face. At the side there was the Chief from Asahi Industries and Airi’s manager who looked very uncomfortable, but also looking at her in interest and maybe even some concern.

The blond man, Balalaika, winked at them “you know I really admire smart work Dutch. But I’ve gotta tell you, you guys are all looking...a little rough”. Airi shifted uncomfortably when she felt the Russian’s eyes on her exposed skin while Rio beared his teeth in a silent snarl. “Well it’s not like we’re going to some dinner party” Dutch intervened, his brow furrowing when he saw the amused, and scheming, twinkle in the Mobsters eyes.

As Balalaika talked with her bosses, Airi noticed how close Rio was standing and that he was getting tenser by the second. Her dark eyes flickered towards Dutch, and he saw the confusion on her face but he just lifted a shoulder in a shrug. Airi startled when she heard her boss call out to her “well then, come along Okajima-San”.

Rio growled loudly, startling her “like hell she is!”. Dutch grabbed Rio’s wrist as his hand twitched towards his gun “it’s her decision”. There was silence before Rio started struggling against Dutch’s hold “no! Dutch, you can’t be serious!”. Airi’s wide eyes connected with Dutch’s sun glasses “you pretty much saved our lives back in the mangrove swamp, the choice is yours”. Rio growled loudly at his boss, enraged by his betrayal, his eyes pinning themselves on Airi and her skin crawled by the rage she saw in them. Airi glanced from Rio and Dutch to her bosses then back, eyes lost, before her hand tightened against the fabric of Rio’s shirt, her eyes cold, she directed her voice so it echoed across to her employers “you’ve already said it remember? I’m already dead”. Her manager just gaped at her, while Rio tore free of Dutch’s hold and tugged her into his side with a tight arm around her waist “you heard her. Fuck off! And by the way, her name’s Jasmine now”.

Balalaika watched amused as the Asahi Industries Chief sped away, his eyes turning to the Lagoon Company “well, pretty lady, I owe you an apology for making you talk to those idiots, and yet, it would have been a waste had you not chosen to stay in Roanopurar. I want you to come to us if there’s anything you ever need, Miss Jasmine of the Black Lagoon” Rio turned angry eyes to the Russian and glowered at him making Balalaika laugh “or perhaps I should call you Mrs Two-Hands?”. Airi pouted, irritation flickering with amusement in her eyes “Mr Balalaika, not you too”.

The Russians, and mostly everyone else on the dock laughed at her “Dutch, I’m looking forward to hearing how this pretty lady saved your life today. Goodbye”.  As the Russian’s drove away Airi reached up and stole Rio’s cigarette from his mouth while Dutch and Benny leant against a wall “so Jasmine, there’s this crew I’ve heard of that might be looking for a good sailor”. Benny smirked, continuing on “they’re a delivery company...”.

Jasmine laughed, interrupting “that sometimes break the rules to put food on the table, isn’t that right?”. Rio scowled at them all, his arm tightening around the Asian women’s shoulder “like she had a choice anyway”. The other three members of the Lagoon Company just rolled their eyes at the maroon haired man, smiles on their faces as Airi and Rio walked towards them.

* * *

 

A warning horn sounded loudly from a cargo ship in the middle of the South China Sea, a young man with maroon coloured hair wearing a black wife beater and blue jeans with combat boots sat to one side cradling a weapon, while standing next to him was a young Japanese women wearing black denim short-shorts, and a black bikini with a open white button up dress shirt with a black Chinese dragon embroidery on one of the shoulders and the long sleeves bunched up to her elbows. Obviously the dress shirt hanging off her slim shoulders was not meant for a female, but she wore it comfortably and spoke reasonably into the megaphone that she was holding to her gloss covered lips “attention to the crew of the St. Joan! Stop your ship immediately and raise a white flag on your starboard side!”

Rio clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, his hand going from around her right ankle to the back of her knee “I told you, you should have worn that dress I brought you from the market”. Airi grimaced at the mention of the dress he showed her yesterday. If you can even call it a dress. Rio bought her a strapless black dress that hugged every contour of her body and it stopped right beneath the seam of her panties, she didn’t even come out of her room to show him what it looked like.

“That dress is way too indecent to wear in public!” Airi hissed, Benny and Dutch chuckling from the other side of their ear pieces. “It would have made them stop” Rio murmured, his finger tips tickling up her thigh and playing with the edge of her short’s causing Airi to slap his hand away “yeah, I would fit right in with the hookers!”. The Japanese women got the desired effect, the maroon haired man growling from besides her like a protective pit bull “like hell anyone else is going to touch you!”. While Rio bristled and growled from besides her, Airi just rolled her eyes and tilted her head when Benny told Dutch “St. Joan opened their communications and told us that if we don't get out of the way, they will force their way through”. Dutch just sighed, leaning back into his chair and with barely concealed humour said “hey Rio, stop you’re pouting and hit these guys up for not listening to your Mrs.”

Airi wearily watched Rio snarl towards the ship, his agitation making him snap and he hurried to prepare his rocket launcher “I told you guys to stop calling me that” Airi murmured. Speaking into the megaphone again the short Japanese women spoke again to the crew of the St. Joan “having failed to comply, it would be beneficial if you all took cover!”.  Just as Airi finished Rio launched his rocket, grinning and pumping his fist when it destroyed the front of the cargo ship. Rio stole the megaphone from Airi “listen very carefully, you dipshits! My rockets are much faster than any of your lame distress signals! Unless you wonna end up in a corpse filled ship wreck I suggest you stop moving! And next time, when the pretty Japanese lady tells you to stop, you fucking cut your engines! You got it?!”.

Rio grinned down at Airi, dropping the megaphone at his feet and reaching around to put his hands in the back pockets of her black denim shorts “okay, now that we’ve finished getting today’s catch, we need to get back to port before lunch. I know this great place that sells an awesome China bowl and they sell out pretty quickly”. Airi smiled up at him, one hand reaching up and clutching a fist full of spiky maroon hair she made him lower his face, and when he did, amusement in his eyes and a smirk on his face, Airi brushed her lips against his while Dutch and Benny whistled at them from the control room and over their ear pieces. 


	5. Chapter 5

When Airi woke up, cocooned in a soft bed with sheets and strong arms wrapped firmly around her waist, it took her a few seconds to realize she wasn’t where she had fallen asleep, and only half a second to figure out why. Rio had his tattooed arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and sleeping on his back as he slept he blew gently into the Japanese women’s wavy black hair as his face subconsciously nuzzled her. Since the first night she ever spent as a member of the Lagoon Company, they’d all discovered that no matter how many time’s Airi escaped, or where ever she fell asleep, Rio would haul her into his room, if they were at the office, or into his bunk on the Black Lagoon and fall promptly asleep clinging to her like a child with a teddy bear.

Even when she woke up and somehow managed to pry his arms away from her, if she escaped into her room and barricaded her door, he still somehow managed to get inside her room and bring her back into his ‘den’, as Benny laughingly put it one morning. Dutch had even likened Rio to a primitive caveman. But after three days of being with the crew of the Black Lagoon, Airi was almost used to waking up in Rio’s arms, and likely it.

Wiggling out from underneath Rio’s arm she noticed with relief, that like the nights before, she was still wearing the clothes she fell asleep in. Grimacing at the state of his room, with clothes thrown all over the place and guns laying dangerously on the ground, she finally got irritated enough when she stubbed her toe on a box of ammunition that she decided to clean his room today whether he liked it or not. Because, she reasoned with herself, if she was going to be dragged into his room every night there should at least be some spaces free of wreckage so she can make a noiseless escape when she finally realised where she was sleeping.

 

Walking quietly down the corridor to first her bedroom, where she picked up a black denim skirt and a dark blue cotton tank top, then to the small bathroom for a quick shower. After she was done there she quickly grabbed her wallet and made her way down to the markets a few streets over.

The first morning after Airi joined the Lagoon Company, she soon discovered that all three men knew nothing about cleaning, or cooking for that matter. While the former Japanese business women drew the line at washing their underwear and cleaning the toilet, she said she’d at least clean the main office area and cook breakfast for those that wanted it. Dutch took advantage of this, quickly working out how much money she’d need each week to buy all the groceries while Rio pretty much begged for four meals a day, with lots of servings, until Airi decided it would be easier to just cook everything in the morning, since she was a early riser anyway, and store it all in the fridge until they needed it.

Airi sighed when she realised that even in the city centre, Roanopurar was still a cut-throat-place filled with people who knew nothing much outside the gutter. As the noise grew louder the more the sun rise lit the streets, Airi quickly hauled the bags of ingredients she had brought from the, in her opinion, over priced vendors and back tracked to the office. As she was walking past some house boats something different from the usual caught her eye “Mr Lun is that new?” Airi asked offhandedly, tilting her head towards a scuba diving kit that looked in perfect shape. The old man aboard the house boat nodded. “How much?” she asked in interest now. The man showed five fingers indicating he would take five grand for all of the equipment. Airi narrowed her eyes in thought, working out how much money she had, what was left after purchasing the groceries. Shaking her head in dismay at the thought, she smiled apologetically at the man frying a fish “maybe some other time, when everyone’s got a little more money in their pockets and some to spare”.  

Quickly Airi hurried away, trying to get back to the office before another ‘incident’ occurred. The second day that Airi started her new life in Roanopurar she had woken up long before the others, and after having a heart attack realising she was in the same bed as Rio, decided to go see what the city she just moved into was like.

She soon discovered however, this was a bad idea. When Rio woke up, only to find her not in his bed, nor the office, in his half-asleep-state he was convinced that someone had kidnapped her, and soon knocked out Benny, the only other person there at the time, who he was certain was ‘in on it’, and tied him to a chair with a dirty sock in his mouth before setting out onto the streets and terrorising every shady looking person to cross his path, which was pretty much everyone. Basically that sums down to Rio waving his gun around like a lunatic and almost starting a war with all the gangs in Roanopurar before Dutch tracked down Airi and pushed her into Rio like a blood sacrifice to a raging god.

Needless to say Airi had learnt her lesson about disappearing for too long without anyone knowing where she was.

* * *

 

As soon as Airi opened the door to the office, arm’s suddenly wrapped around her and a strange, humming purr sounded in her ear as someone at least two feet taller than her nuzzled the top of her head. “Thank god, we were running out of ideas of how to keep him here before he started looking for you” Benny sighed, exasperated, with his head in his hands. Airi raised an eyebrow at Dutch who was leaning against the kitchen door with a cup of what she guessed was steaming black coffee with no sugar or milk “Amen, the Demon Tamer has returned”.

Airi rolled her eyes, looking up at Rio whose expression she couldn’t help but liken to a neglected puppy. “You disappeared again” he stated accusingly kissing the top of her head and hauling her into the air, shopping bags and all, more inside the office. “Well we needed some stuff” she defended, unsure why she felt like apologising for going out and buying their groceries.

As Airi got started on breakfast Dutch put a cup of coffee besides her on the bench “I’m stepping out for while now that your here and keeping Rio in line”. Airi grinned at him, slight worry in her dark eyes “okay, watch your back”. Dutch shook his head in wonder, stealing a mango from a fruit bowel Airi had set out before working on the omelettes and waving before walking out the door. “Baby Girl, was that Dutch that just walked out?” Rio asked, shirtless in only a pair of black boxers and a towel around his shoulders, he’d heard the bell from the bathroom and thought someone had walked in. Benny laughed from his room which was the closest to the kitchen where he was tinkering with a hard drive “don’t worry Two-Hands, I’m keeping watch and making sure nobody kidnaps her”.

Rio beared his teeth at Benny while Airi just sighed, putting two omelettes on a plate and taking the tomato sauce from the fridge and putting it on the table for Rio. “You want potatoes and chicken in yours as well Benny?” Airi asked interrupting the two men bickering like teenager boys.

* * *

 

When Dutch finally came back to the office, he smirked seeing Rio sprawled out asleep on the couch, a usual sight for the past few years, but with his arm wrapped around the waist of a tiny Japanese women who had paper’s spread out around her but was currently asleep with her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around Rio’s tattooed one with the side of her head leaning against the gun man’s side where his body was too big to fit on the couch and a little bit of his body was hanging over the side. 

Picking up some of the papers he nudged them with his boots, shaking his head seeing that the papers were calculations about the fuel efficiency of his torpedo boat the Japanese women had been working on late last night for him. “Wake up sailors, we have a job”. Rio’s eyes immediately opened and sparkled with excitement, while Airi swayed slightly with blurry eyes. Rio bounded off the couch and hurried into his room, Airi staying on the floor and rubbing her eyes she looked up at Dutch “Benny in the car already?”. At his node the Asian women stood, still swaying slightly and yawning, Airi making a startled noise when a black shirt was thrown into her face. Grabbing it Airi scowled at Rio who just grinned at her, a bag full of guns at his side “wear that”.

The women known as Jasmine to the people of Roanopurar eyed the semi-clean shirt before glancing at him “it’s yours and its dirty” she responded dryly causing both men to chuckle. “So you’ll smell like me” Rio said as he started walking out the door. Airi looked at Dutch curiously as he also started making his way out he explained “making sure no other man touches you”. Airi just stared after them blankly, sighing before putting the shirt on leaving it unbuttoned but tying the bottom edges into a bow across her stomach and rolling up the sleeves.

* * *

 

On board the Black Lagoon Airi startled when Dutch suddenly came into the cabin where she was braiding her waist length black hair “what’s all that?” she asked, eyes narrowing when she turned from the mirror and seeing Dutch drop some very interesting equipment at her feet. “I don’t know. Do I look like an off-season Santa to you? Earlier today you were looking around at the shop weren’t you?”. Airi watched him carefully, her suspicion rising “how did you..? But you were in the office!”.

Dutch smirked at her, enjoying the disbelief and the suspicion on her normally blank face “just tell me when you want something”. Airi’s eyebrow’s rose in scepticism “hold on, then you’re saying that’s for me?”. Rio walked in just in time, with a huge cold hamburger bun sticking out of his mouth, to see Dutch’s scheming grin.

* * *

 

Rio sat munching on his third hamburger besides Airi as she glared furiously at Dutch’s back in the control room “Damnit Dutch! I’ve only been scuba diving once in my life at Ishigakijima Island! I swear if Rio gets us killed down there I’m going to haunt you forever!”. Rio chuckled as his partner continued to mumble about the salvage plan Dutch sprang on them an hour ago. 

“I’m insulted” Dutch said suddenly from the controllers, gaining the attention of the two teens “I never would have hired Rio if using those guns was his only skill. When it comes to swimming, he’s got natural talent. Just leave all the heavy lifting to him. Jasmine, you just concentrate on bringing that painting back safely and undamaged”. Airi eyed Rio disbelieving, while both men just grinned at her as reassuringly as a pair of snakes to a field mouse.


	6. Chapter 6

Dutch and Benny stood on the deck of the Black Lagoon, peering into binoculars and watching the   ‘Research ship’ that just suddenly appeared out of nowhere while Airi and Rio were down underwater at the salvage site. The ‘research ship’, now identified as Neo-Nazi’s, has already shot anti-tank missiles at the boat, even after Dutch claimed to be Military. “What’s our distance Benny-Boy?” Dutch asked thoughtfully, sunglasses still on even with binoculars held up to his eyes. “The last time I checked it was fifty-two hundred yards” the blonde replied.  “That puts us out of their range” his deep voice pleased.

“Those guys are a dangerous bunch, alright. Fucking crazy” Benny replied, sea gulls loudly flying above their heads. “And the fact that they just launched three of those things at once, means their well equipped” Dutch continued to watch their most recent enemy even when Benny had already put his down. “Their parked directly above that U-boat” Benny sighed. Dutch grunted “And we can’t do a damn thing”.

* * *

 

Music flooded in towards the Black Lagoon from the ‘Research ship’, “hey hey hey, get a load of this I think their holding a little concert. Some Nazi marching song” Benny said, his binoculars back on. Dutch sat against the cabin, smoking “Yeah I hear them. Start with some random useless guy, put him on a podium, give him some power, and the next thing you know you got a march loving, ego tripping fool on your hands. Same shit as always. And you? What do you think as a white man?”.

“That kind of shit doesn’t agree with me. Besides, don’t forget I’m Jewish. ‘Fuck the Nazis’ is a family Creed” Benny smirked at the irony of the situation. “That’s right, I forgot. By the way, are the beacons on yet?” Dutch asked standing now besides the blonde man. Benny rested his chin in his hands “nope it looks like both of them are still in the submarine. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can really do at this point, but sit around and pick at each other’s politics. I’m not that concerned about the job, but I am worried about the time”.

“Yeah, that’s always gonna be a problem. If we had time to retrieve it Id take the whole thing back to the port. That way I coulda shown that fancy dress parade on that shit heap of a boat what their Fuhrer went through. Take a little bit of the romance out of it” Dutch took a long drag of his cigarette, leaning against his torpedo. “I hear you. This isn’t good; those guys are up to something. They’re lowering some kind of pod. At this rate there’s gonna be a show down in the sub. Rio’s gonna be pissed that Jasmine’s gonna get in the middle of this. What now?”.

“There’s nothing we can do Benny. They still have TOW’s. Just having to say this pisses me off, but we’ll have to wait till they give us a chance. So, for now we’ll have to pray while we shit. Rio’s gonna go ape shit at me, if they come back alive that is”.

* * *

 

“Wha! The beacons are on!” Benny shouted surprised, while Dutch leaned over his shoulder for a better look “where are they?”. Benny stared at his computer screen with a growing sense of unease “directly above the sub!”. Dutch frowned “what the hell are they doing? Can you tell me where they’re headed?”.  Benny’s unease grew to horror “they’re position isn’t changing, they’re going straight up; towards the Nazi mother ship”.

“Tell me he’s not gonna do it” Dutch sighed. “Neither of them know who they’re up against! He’s probably planning to....God Damnit! We’re talking about fanatics who launched Anti-Tank Missiles without any warning! Rio’s current equipment isn’t going to help him! If he surfaces without realising.....it’s over for him”. Dutch straightened, turning his back to Benny “we’ll stay put, it’s too soon”.

“But Dutch!” Benny said loudly. “You wonna show some bravado, charge in and all go to hell together? Might paint a great picture but it won’t be much of an ending, Boy. For now you should just pray that it’s not their time to go yet” Dutch walked into the control room.

 “They’ve started” Dutch said over the com link. “You think they’re alright?” Benny asked hesitant. “If they’re still shooting means they’re not dead yet” Dutch replied emotionlessly.

* * *

 

“They’ve stopped” Dutch said from the cabin door. “Looks that way” Benny replied over the com link “the beacons are still active. They’re drifting South-East away from the ship. But I’ve got no way of knowing if they’re dead or alive”. Silence from atop deck “can you hear me up there Dutch?” slight resentment in the blonde haired man’s voice. “Yeah, the ship is starting to move” Dutch replied, never indicating he heard Benny’s tone. “Shall we go and pick up some bones?” Benny asked grimly. “That’s a bit too much Benny-Boy” Dutch said through the com link, no sign of what he was thinking. “Guess my nerves aren’t as tough as yours” the computer hacker responded. “Yeah I know” Dutch understood sighing.

* * *

 

Dutch leaned over the boat’s edge, putting down a hand and lifting Airi pretty much out of the water without any help from her what-so-ever while Rio lifted himself over the edge. Both looked tired and drained, but uninjured from what Dutch could see. “So they got away with the goods?” Dutch asked, hands now in his pockets, no hint of the relief he was feeling. “Who the hell are they anyway? Those bald cock-suckers!” Rio growled, a hand on Airi’s back where she knelt before Dutch and Benny shivering.  “They’re Neo-Nazi’s, a sorry bunch of left-over’s from the dark ages if you ask me. I don’t know where they’re from” Dutch said stoically, noticing the Japanese women had said nothing so far. “To hell with this bullshit! You telling me fucking skin-heads got one over on us?!” Rio snarled angrily, lifting cold eyes to the tall African-American in cargo pants. “This is far from over Rio, we took a job and it’s not done yet” Dutch said sighing, pretty sure Rio was so angry because the Nazi’s took the painting and they only just escaped from being cornered in the sub.

Rio hit the deck loudly with his fist, making Airi jump “Let’s do this Dutch! Let’s turn that Nazi boat into a floating morgue!”. Dutch lit a cigarette “agreed. Putting all politics aside, it’s not good for business to leave it at this. The only cure for these idiots playing heroes is some bitter medicine. So let’s give it to them”.


	7. Chapter 7

The crew aboard the Black Lagoon watched the Neo-Nazi’s ship from a fair distance away, not risking being targeted by anti-tank missiles again. Dutch sat in his chair in the control room, leaning back and already nearing his second packet of cigarettes that night “what is it with that painting? I mean there’s not much we can do if these guys have bad taste in politics and even worse taste in art. But still. Coming all the way out here with that kind of equipment and weaponry is not something you can do without a lot of money” he asked thoughtfully, not really expecting an answer from the people sitting around the cabin behind him. Airi was sitting behind him on the bench, shivering underneath a heavy blanket she got from Rio’s bunk and staring thoughtfully into a coffee cup laced with sugar and spiked with rum “the investment is way out of proportion to their objectives.  Hmmm. Wait a minute. Talk about spending too much money for the job” she paused, shoulders unhunching slightly “so that’s it” she added thoughtfully.

“You’re pretty smart Jasmine” Dutch said, surprising Airi from her thoughts “sounds familiar ha? We’ve been hired to find that same painting, and we’re getting a lot of cash to do it”. Airi pulled the blanket more securely around her; she was only wearing one of Rio’s wife beaters and some panties underneath “you’d think it was valuable. But we’re talking about an artist who was virtually unknown”.  Dutch glanced away from her, and the bare thigh she was flashing unknowingly “well hopefully that mystery is going to get solved tonight”.

“I have a bad feeling about this” Airi confessed, expecting Dutch to laugh at her. Surprised when he didn’t and just said “I’ll watch his back”. Airi flushed, sipping her burning hot coffee “Jasmine, go feed Rio will you?” Dutch said sighing, knowing something was up if Rio wasn’t stalking the Japanese women’s every step and hoping it didn’t interfere with tonight’s work “tell him they don’t deliver pizza out here, so he’ll have to give up and eat something from a can since all the food you made this morning has already disappeared down his abyss of a mouth”.

* * *

 

Airi found Rio up on deck, unsettled at the feeling of him not being behind her every time she turned around like normal “Rio? I brought dinner. Dutch says you should probably have something to eat. Um, I’ll leave it here”.  Rio didn’t even glance at her, flustered Airi continued “um, if this is about what happened earlier on the U-boat, I...” Airi was interrupted when Rio reached up and pulled her roughly to sit between his legs. “Jaz, we’re done talking about that” Airi tilted her head back to look at him but he just looked away and rested his cheek against her hair “I don’t think there’s any reason to go over all of that again, you got it?”. Airi shivered at his cold tone, uneasy she started tucking in the blanket so the cold sea breeze couldn’t reach her bare skin “um....right”.

* * *

 

“It’s a good night” Dutch said, putting out his cigarette in an over flowing ash tray “the moon is about to sink, then it’ll get dark. And when that happens we’ll raid those bastards”. Benny stood a little behind his boss’s chair “I’ve been keeping an eye on the course of their ship at the outer range of our radar”. Dutch turned and smirked at him coldly “good work. Rio and I will take care of the rest, since they have their little painting; I’m guessing they’re busy celebrating right now”.

* * *

 

Now outside with the crew of the Black Lagoon, Dutch said while holding a heavy duty shot-gun “idiots. That’s right, go ahead and keep toasting each other. We’re gonna come in banging on all the walls, and raid you like the wild apaches”. Airi stood to one side with Benny, wrapped tightly in Rio’s blanket when they heard Rio’s footsteps behind them. “Sorry, but we got one more errand to run partner” Dutch said without looking at the maroon haired man. Lifting his dead eyes from his feet Rio just said “sure, way not. Work’s for me, I’ve got no complaints as long as I can kill who I want and steal what I want”. Dutch looked behind him then, taking in Rio’s demeanour silently.

Rio walked up to Airi who was looking at him wide eyed, never having heard this tone of voice before, even in the beginning when they first met. He stared down at her silently from a foot away, and Benny and Dutch watched silently when the Japanese women hesitated for only a moment, and were surprised when she reached from underneath the blanket she wore to touch his chest without fear. Normally in this mood Rio would shoot anyone and anything that so much as brushed up against him, so they tensed when Rio lifted a hand and wrapped some of her hair around it, relaxing some when he only bent down to her level and kissed her forehead, just standing there with his lips against her skin and her hand tightly holding onto his shirt.  Airi tilted her head back, and she reached up a little to kiss under his chin “be safe”. Rio didn’t reply, just reached for the hand now over his heart and lifting it with his own, kissed her palm. He stepped back from her, their eyes never leaving each other’s until Rio was walking past Benny, who he gave an unreadable look, before jumping down into the small boat besides the Black Lagoon with Dutch.

As Dutch started the small boat, he turned to Rio who was staring out towards sea “you seem down Rio, what’s going on did something happen with Jasmine?”. Rio didn’t even turn to look at his boss; he just answered emotionlessly “nothing happened”.

* * *

 

Aboard the enemy vessel one lone Nazi solider was walking drunkenly down the corridor when he saw a rope tied to the railing of the ship. Looking over he saw a small boat, his eyes widening in alarm and he turned yelling “hey I think we got trouble!”. Suddenly Rio’s modified Beretta 92FS’s Cuttlass appeared pointing at the Neo-Nazi’s face “and just like that the first little piggy met his end. Oink, oink, oink”.

* * *

 

Airi and Benny heard the shots from the cabin of the Black Lagoon, Airi biting her thumb worriedly while Benny said while looking through binoculars “It’s started”. Airi glanced at him “hey Benny? Times like this, what are we supposed to do while we’re waiting? Do we sit here, smoking, looking bored and worried?”. Benny didn’t even glance at her, yet he answered her immediately like he expected her to ask “when you two were being shot at earlier today, I noticed Dutch remained incredibly calm. To be honest I envied him for that, but hey, we’re not really the type of people who can pull out a gun and shoot other human beings. Let’s face it, that’s why we watch the fort”.

* * *

 

Rio stood over the now dead Nazi’s body, walking away when Dutch cocked his shot-gun. “I’m making my way to the upper deck from the bow. I need you to turn this place into a cluster fuck, okay?” Dutch watched Rio walk quietly down some stairs to the lower levels “yeah, you don’t need to ask twice. I’ll eat till I get my fill. These bastards became the walking dead when they cornered Jasmine in the Sub, they just don’t know it yet”. And true to his word, Rio methodically checked every room that he past, and killed every living thing he found.


	8. Chapter 8

Dutch had just finished killing a large group of retaliating Neo-Nazi’s, the loud shots of the shot gun still echoing in the tight confides of the corridor “what a joke. They’ve got the uniforms but that’s about it”. He continued walking, one handedly-cocking his gun. “So is this where the boss it hiding?” Dutch asked, coming upon another room with hiding soldier’s breathing loudly in distress “you..you won’t find the commander here! He’s on an upper level, I swear it’s the truth!” a scared voice shouted from behind a turned over table. “Well thanks a lot, that’s very kind of you” Dutch said, shooting the wood table to pieces and killing all hiding behind it.

Dutch touched his ear piece, opening communications “Rio? You hear me?”. A pause as he waited a moment. Two moments. Three. “Rio? Rio where are you? Damnit that bastard!”. He swore, angrily turning and stalking down the corpse filled hall.

* * *

 

Rio kicked down the control room doors, startling the crew inside they all held their hands in the air “wait! Please don’t shoot! All the sailors here are hired outsiders, we’re not with these guys!” the man who was beseeching the maroon haired pirate fell to the ground when Rio punched him “so what? ‘Please don’t kill me?’ Unaffiliated and non-resistant mean nothing to me”. Rio shot the man on the grounds knee-cap, and he dug his Cutlass into the quivering sailor’s cheek “you’re all insured, it shouldn’t matter right? Oink. Oink. Oink”.

As he was about to shoot the man on the ground, a gun barrel suddenly pushed his away “Rio, what the hell are you thinking?”. Dragging the younger man out Dutch lifted and pushed Rio angrily against the controller room’s outer walls. “What the hell’s your problem? I was just doing my job Dutchy. Blood baths are what we do best. Isn’t that right?” Rio stated emotionlessly, his expression condescending. “A gun-man is a professional. A shooter is someone who kills cause they got issues. I do not remember hiring Charles fucking Whitman. If you want, you can go wild and lose your shit, but if you fuck this up here and now, I die too. Just keep it cool Rio. If that’s too much for you climb a fucking clock tower and start shooting up college kids” Dutch growled. Rio’s eyes narrowed and his hand twitched towards his Cutlass “spare me the bullshit Dutch”.

“What do you expect Two-Hands? I’m your employer after all” Dutch grabbed his own gun as Rio pulled his out of his arm holster. They watched each other, both with eyes narrowed and intent on the other. Seemingly obvious to the outside world, they suddenly pulled the click back on their guns and pointed them at each other, there was a moment’s hesitation before they turned their guns in opposite directions and shot at the Neo-Nazi’s that were hoping to sneak up on them.  When they all were dead Rio suddenly chuckled darkly “I actually thought you were going to kill me”.

Dutch smirked slightly, putting away his gun “me too partner”. Rio closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of the dead “not a whole lot of trust going on around here”. Dutch glanced at the maroon haired man “you couldn’t even take a joke. That’s too bad”. Rio scratched his head, almost sheepishly “so, why don’t you tell me what’s next on the agenda Big Boss Man?”. Dutch looked towards their next destination “the commander. We’re gonna find him”.

* * *

 

Dutch and Rio walked down a deserted corridor “Rio, have you cooled off yet?”. Sighing Rio didn’t glance up from his blood soaked shoes “what do you mean?”. Dutch continued “well, in case you haven’t noticed you get Whitman Fever every time something happens to Jasmine”. Rio was quiet for a moment before he answered “not digging to deep is our style isn’t it? I’ll finish the job perfectly”. Dutch chuckled silently, walking in the opposite direction to the maroon haired man “of course you will, or you wouldn’t be able to support your way of life. I’m gonna check this area, we’ll finish talking later”. Dutch closed the door on Rio’s long-suffering sigh.

* * *

 

Dutch walked into the commander’s quarters, seeing him snivelling and backing away from the door with a phone in his hands. “Yo Nazi, I’ve come to get you” he said with a malicious grin “were you on the phone? Well after all we’ve been through I don’t think I’ll apologise for the rudeness. Don’t mind me, I’ll wait here and let you finish up”. Dutch heard a voice talking to the small, rounded man before the commander handed the phone to him “it’s for you”. Instead of taking it Dutch tapped the loudspeaker button with his shot gun’s barrel “you the Boss? Your subordinates were a real waste of good uniforms. Now, I’ve got two questions for you”.

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled “indeed. You must forgive me for the shameful display. Oh? About the importance of the painting?”. Dutch looked at the phone thoughtfully, completely disregarding the snivelling commander next to him “let’s start with that. There’s another artist thought to be responsible for this painting”. The voice sounded pleased when it replied “I commend you on your research” while the commander was getting whiter and whiter by the second. “A little known artist from Austria, good old Adolf Hitler himself. Or that’s how the rumour has it anyway”

The commander’s eyes widened “It’s the Fuehrer’s?!” he almost shouted. “Don’t rush to conclusions Old Man” Dutch said mockingly. The voice on the phone continued the conversation “the Fuhrer as an artist at best could only paint mediocre scenic pieces. But that theory brings back memories. On the day he left for Batavia the SS officer carrying that painting was also under the impression it was the Fuhrer’s work”.

“I see, so, what you want isn’t the painting, but something else inside of it” Dutch was greeted with silence from the other two men, even the commander had stopped sniffingly like an infant. “And this is just a wild guess, but, I’d be willing to bet you know the phone number to our office pretty well, don’t you old man?”. The answer came back emotionlessly “the antique trading company from Madrid that asked for this salvage job. Indeed, I’ll admit that was me. I was also the one who wished you both to confront one-another”. The commander stood up indigently “what?!”.

“The most amusing method which provided insurance and acted as their right-of-passage. It’s nothing more than a fleeting and dear memory to me now. You have shown surprising insight, Black Man” the voice from the phone said degradedly. “You watch your mouth you old cracker, no need to be rude. I might get upset and throw it back into the ocean” Dutch said, watching the commander’s face turn red from outrage. The voice over the phone sighed “that’s fine with me; I simply wanted to get it back because it was discovered. Financially speaking we’re quite successful these days. But what about the loss of reputation for yourself?” he added slyly. 

Dutch sat atop the commanders pure oak desk “well I don’t like it but I’m not gonna argue with you there”. The voice chuckled “you’re a wise man. You know it’s a real shame your black”. Dutch nudged the phone towards the commander with his shot gun “I’ll take that as a compliant. Now go on, continue with your conversation”.

“There won’t be any need for that. He has already fulfilled his role in all of this” the commander cracked, wiping things off his desk with angry jerks and hitting them against his walls “Alfred you bastard! First you set me up and then you betray me?!”. The voice over the loud speaker lost all its amused and begrudging respect and became cold indifference “I suggest you watch your mouth young one. Whether or not you choose to admit it you and the Black Man were given a level playing field. You should have known better then to try to enter our society considering your ineptness. I’m afraid you have only yourself to blame”. The commander sat back in his chair and started sobbing.

“As for you Black Man that was a splendid job. If you were fortunate enough to been born white I’d have sent you an Iron Cross” Dutch shook his head in disgust. “I don’t want one. All I want is the money, you old Nazi Fuck”. The voice amusedly replied “honestly is wonderful. Hypocrisy rots this world. I sincerely wish your kind will one day be wiped off the face of the planet”. Dutch’s eyes both held humour, and extreme resentment “thankyou kindly. I sincerely hope that you rot in hell”. Dutch had just smashed the phone into pieces when Rio knocked on the commander’s door “come on. You’re still not done cleaning up? So, is this guy here the commander?”. Dutch nodded as Rio walked into the room, “wonna make a bet Dutch?” Rio asked amused “you know, the usual?”.

“It’s really not much of a bet Rio” Dutch said looking at him, already feeling the weariness in his bones from tonight’s events. “Let’s just try it” Rio said, dead eyes hopeful. “Here you go Old Man” Rio said, throwing one of his Cutlass’s to the Nazi Commander “knock yourself out”. The betrayed Neo-Nazi stared at it, before chokingly taking it into his hands. “I say black” Rio said leaning against the door. Dutch stood, standing beside’s him “I already told you it’s not that much of a game. I say black too”. Rio laughed as the commander held the fire arm to his head, before his eyes got a crazy look in them and he started yelling, pointing the gun first at the maroon haired man before focusing on Dutch and pulling the trigger. “I told you, it’s not that much of a bet” Dutch said, ignoring the commander as he continued to pull the trigger yet nothing happened. Rio laughed loudly “you know I thought the commander might surprise us and show some balls. But I guess I was wrong. These guys are all the same. Pathetic to the end”. Rio got out his second Cutlass and pointed it at the begging commander “let’s finish this job”.

* * *

Outside Dutch and Rio lit a cigarette each, their adrenalin fading and their hearts slowing they stood basking in the cool ocean breeze “I sure got the shivers today. Way too much trouble” Dutch said leaning his head back. “Shut up” Rio said, seeing right past his opening and knowing what was coming “I won’t cause you anymore trouble”. Dutch put his hands in his pockets “we both know that’s a lie. I think I’m starting to understand what you’re so hung up upon. And I tell you right now, whatever’s eating you comes from deep inside” Dutch pushed away from the wall and shot  a flare high into the sky. “In other words, no amount of killing is going to make that pain disappear”. They both heard the Black Lagoon start up from somewhere in the distance.

“Dutch? It’s Jasmine” Rio lifted his hand to his mouth, toying with his cigarette his eyes turned away “she’s on the other side of the tracks. She’s nothing like the people on our side. I just can’t stand the feeling of her being out of reach. I need to keep her close by, even if I have to stalk her every move from the shadows. I can’t let her go, not even if she asks me too. Ever since I first saw her, I needed her close. It’s not even an option, even if you tried to make me I think I couldn’t stop myself from retaliating like tonight”. Dutch turned, seeing the coldness in Rio’s eyes and knowing if he ever tried to separate Rio from Jasmine, he’d be consumed by Rio’s rage.

“On the sub, she talked about her past and how if her father was on that submarine, even if he was a Nazi, she’d want something to remind her of him. I heard how much she misses them, loves them, and I know how much it’ll hurt her, but I wanted to destroy them” Rio growled in frustration, unable to stop his thoughts from coming out of his mouth now that he’s started “that she loves anything other than me, and that something might be the reason she leaves, I don’t think I could control myself.....I think I’d end up killing her by destroying everything she holds in her heart”.


	9. Chapter 9

Back aboard the Black Lagoon, both men could tell Rio was edgy when Airi didn’t appear on deck to greet them when they returned. The hair’s on the back of Benny’s neck rose when Rio suddenly turned his gaze to him “where is she?” he asked lowly, lips pulling back to bare his teeth when Dutch stepped towards him. “A few hour’s into the attack she disappeared saying she was going to bed” Benny replied nervously, unconsciously stepping back when Rio advanced on him. Both Dutch and Benny watched when Rio turned his back on them and slinked towards the cabin, Benny sighing in relief when Rio disappeared. “Best not to get in the way of Rio when it comes to Jasmine, all I can really tell you is that he’d completely lose it if something happened to her or she decided to leave Roanopurar. Whatever he would do, it would make tonight seem like a fucking children’s picnic” Dutch said patting Benny’s back seeing his face paler than normal.

* * *

 

Rio prowled into the bunk room, eyes easily able to slip into night-time vision and he frowned seeing Airi’s bunk empty. It was normally just the two of them that slept in here, Benny normally sleeping in with his computers and Rio wasn’t even sure Dutch could sleep. He’d already passed through every other room to get into this one, so it made him panic slightly seeing her bed empty. Rio’s head whipped up when he heard a soft sound from above in the top bunk where he normally slept, and stepping on the side of Airi’s lower one he peered over the side and was surprised to see a bare leg. Normally Rio had to wait until the Japanese women was already asleep before gently not waking her, carry her to where ever he decided they were going to lie together. To see her already where he planned to sleep made him growl softly in pleasure.

Stepping down he quietly toed out of his blood crusted combat boots, his black wife beater and blue jeans flecked with blood going next until he was just in a pair of black boxers loosely hanging from his hips. He noiselessly tapped the lock on the door, breathing silently for a second before he climbed up onto the top bunk bed. Languorously with eyes hooded he eyed the sleeping girl before him. She lay on her back with her hands fisted besides her head and with legs bent they were slightly open to his gaze, the tank top he recognised as his was pulled up exposing  her stomach, and the fact she was only wearing a thin black pair of panties. Unable to help himself he shifted forwards on his knees, one hand gently skimming his finger tips from her ankle to her knee, the soft feel of her smooth skin addictive. Open handed now, his black eyes traced his hands path as it slide up towards her inner thigh, his hand just stopping shy of her panties he felt himself stiffening when he heard her quietly moan.

Tearing his hands away regretfully he held himself above her on his hands and knees, eyes hungry they fastened themselves on her half erect nipples pebbling  through his shirt she wore making it all the more enjoyable that she put it on herself without any prompting from him. That she did it herself, in his mind could only mean she was acknowledging his claim over her. He bent his head slowly, gently kissing the irresistibly soft skin of her lips before slowly stroking his tongue over her right nipple. One hand fisted in the sheets on the bunk, the other tenderly stroked her leg before hooking his hand under the knee and making her legs more open for him to slide his body between them. Rio lifted her shirt, patience waning he moved the materiel out of his way before his mouth moved back to her breast and lips against her skin began to suck with increasing pressure.

Airi cried out, having awoken when he shifted her legs she wrapped them around his hips, her back arching as his teeth and tongue pinched and caressed her sensitive bud “Rio!”. The maroon haired man chuckled darkly, hips rolling to rub his painfully stiff erection against her opening, his silk boxes catching deliciously on her already wet panties. “I’ve waited days for this” he muttered against her lips, having pulled himself away from her tantalising breasts he prodded her mouth with his tongue, growling from deep within his throat when she opened her mouth and sucked his tongue strongly. Airi’s arm’s lifted to wrap around his neck, keeping his lips tightly pressed against hers she moaned as her hips tilted up and she bucked against his, arm’s contracting when Rio’s erection brushed against her clit.

Pulling back Rio smirked down at her, his eyes dangerously dark Airi shivered as his predator gaze leisurely traced down her body. The Japanese women made a sad mewling noise when he pulled away, only stopping from following him when his dark eyes pinned her to the bed. First he squeezed her breasts, pleased when Airi started moaning again when he stroked her nipple with his tongue he pinched the pebble between his lips causing Airi to once again lift her back off the bunk bed and arch her hips into Rio’s. The maroon haired gunman didn’t stay there for long, trailing hard sucking kisses and soft grazes of teeth down her flat stomach and below her navel.  From there his eyes rolled up to Airi’s, his black eyes shining seeing her tightly holding onto the pillow and her chest moving unsteadily because of her heavy breathing.

Airi gasped when Rio’s tongue unexpectedly swept across her opening through her soaking panties, the cotton sticking to her and showing the rises and falls of her most intimate place to the man atop her. He smirked, tongue eagerly lapping at her as her legs tightened around his back while Rio held them open. Her eyes closed tightly, and her face pinched when he did it again, the Japanese women feeling an undescribed amount of pleasure feeling his tongue and lips toy with her clit. As Airi bucked against his face he pulled back once again, smirking when she toed his boxers and pulled them down to free his erection. Sliding up her body Rio briefly skimmed her through her pants before hooking his thumbs through the waist band of her underwear and pulling them down her legs, all the while keeping eye contact with her.

Airi panted, and her breathing steadily increasing as he reached down and brushed his tongue against the roof of her mouth, her own sliding along the side of his and wreathing against him when he suddenly slide inside her.  Disconnecting their lips Airi tilted her head back against the pillow, whimpering loudly in pleasure her legs opened to better accommodate him and give him more room. Sucking on the sensitive skin of her throat Rio’s elbows braced on either side of Airi he lost all his patience and started roughly thrusting inside her, and with each sound of skin-hitting-against-skin that echoed in the small room Airi’s cries grew louder as her climax came alarmingly close. “I’ll pull out when I cum” Rio grunted, mouth speaking around the breast he was sucking on violently. “No, no, please Rio, cum inside me, please” the Japanese women whimpered against the skin of his shoulder. Rio groaned at the sound of her begging and the tightening of her walls making him almost tip over the edge. Airi’s hips started moving erratically against his, her nails biting into the skin of his shoulder blades as she threw her head back as her climax washed over her. Rio’s eyes almost rolled into the back of his head, and he couldn’t help but close them as his own end overcame him, brought on by hers they both came together with the sound of flesh brutally coming together as they rode out the aggressive waves of pleasure.

As her vision finally came back to her, Airi stroked her fingers through Rio’s damp hair as he rested his cheek against her breast, his body completely covering hers as he lazed comfortably enjoying the afterglow. Lifting his head he gently kissed her, raising a hand and cupping her cheek as their lips moulded together. “Can we do that every night?” Airi asked breathlessly when he pulled away, making Rio laugh loudly and fall to his side besides her, an arm going securely around her waist possessively “more than once a day. Hell we could have been doing this since the very beginning”.

Airi nuzzled into his neck, turning onto her side also and her arm bent up to place her hand over his heart “definitely if I knew everything would turn out this way. I guess you’re finally going to get me sleeping in your bed willingly now”. Rio jokingly growled into her hair, his other arm going under her back and pulling her in closer “right where you belong”.


	10. Chapter 10

This morning when Airi handed each member of the Lagoon Company a short stack of pancakes, Rio nearly spat coffee all over them “what?!” he yelled standing up suddenly, hands banging against the kitchen table. Dutch sat back, eyeing the maroon haired man across the table as Rio stiffened with rage “I have to work on the boat all day, and Benny’s going to be busy with the electronics’. You need to let Jasmine out into the world sometime, besides, many are curious about the women you’ve claimed; and our newest employee since she isn’t a native to the area”. Both men turned to glance at the women in question, she had her back turned to them and was humming quietly doing the dishes in the sink across the kitchen, probably not even listening to their conversation. Dutch lifted a fork to his mouth, satisfied that considering Airi couldn’t hold a gun, she at least was a valuable member of their team by feeding them, handling public relations and good at paper work, something the rest of them lacked almost completely. “That’s what I’m worried about” Rio growled, his spiky maroon hair almost seeming to stand on end. Rio knew of the rumours, but after seeing that scar-faced bastard Balalaika seemed to be drawn to her as well he wasn’t risking the chance that she had that effect on the other inhabitant’s of Roanopurar.

“That’s not my problem. It’s got nothing to do with me or the job. Start in this neighbourhood. First head to Roan ‘Jackpot’ Pigeon's place on Rachiada Street” Dutch grinned as Rio bristled at the name, hissing he pushed away from the table, stomping over to Airi and lifting her a foot off the ground and started carrying her towards their room. “Wh..? Rio? What’s wrong? Where are we going? Rio?!” Airi cried out in surprise, soap suds still covering her arms as he carried her past the kitchen table, where Benny and Dutch watched amused, and into their room.

Sitting her on the bed Rio turned his back on her and walked towards his closet, falling to his knees and riffling through the debris “Dutch is sending us on an errand”. Airi stared wide eyed at his back, from the way he growled his reply he didn’t sound very happy “and that’s a bad thing because...?”. He paused, lifting his Cutlass and stuffing bullet clips into his pockets “Because the people of this town are filth, and you, you shine like a light in a coal mine. They’ll flock to you. Try to take you from me”. Airi shivered from his snarl of rage, standing she hesitated for a moment before touching his shoulder, stiffening when he suddenly turned on his heel and buried his face into her stomach, his arm’s going tight around her back. The Japanese women didn’t move for a moment, taken aback, before one arm went around his shoulder and a hand threaded through some of his hair “you know it wouldn’t be by choice”.

Rio growled, it slightly muffled since his face was pressed tight against the white cotton dress she wore “yeah,” he paused for a moment, snarling lowly “nobody will ever fucking take you from me, willing or otherwise”. Airi frowned hearing the double-edged threat in his voice, slightly concerned by the undercurrent of chaos in his words. The maroon haired man pulled back slightly, and bending he softly brushed his lips against her knee, his hand’s clipping an anklet on her left leg. Standing up he watched her, astounded by the ecstasy he received from her simple happiness as her eyes widened in surprised and she gave him a heart-warmingly genuine smile.

Airi sat on the bed, lifting her leg up to get a better look at the silver chain. She could tell the links were real silver, and the clasp was a gun, remarkably like Rio’s Cutlass, and a silver wolf the size of five cent piece. Grinning up at him she tugged him forwards by his hand, pulling him to her until he was standing between her thighs. He smirked bending down to her level while she cupped his face and kissed him sweetly, laughing when Rio pushed her onto her back and lay down on their bed between her legs. One arm went under her head while his other hand reached up and lightly traced her lips “you like it then?”. Airi smiled at him, noticing the almost insecure hesitation in his under tone she pulled him down to her lips again by the back of his neck “I love it”.  

* * *

 

Soon after Rio walked with his arm around Airi’s shoulders into a strip club. Rio glared at anyone that so much as looked at them, Airi huddling into his side slightly as some of the patrons’ eye’s undressed her even though she was sure out of all the women there she was wearing the most clothes. She still had on her white cotton dress but with black tights’ that went to her knees and another one of Rio’s black dress shirts covering her arms. Rio stopped in front of a laughing afro haired man sitting with his arms around two scantly glad girls “welcome sweet Jasmine of the Black Lagoon and Rio Two-Hands! And here I thought I’d never get the chance to meet the newest employee of the Lagoon Company you’ve been hiding away!”.

Rio scowled at him, not even bothering to look at the girls. Even before he meet Airi Rio had never had an interest in women, for sex or otherwise. Now, in the risk of sounding superstitious, he guessed he’s been waiting for her all along. “Fuck off will you Roan! The only reason I’m here is because of my job!” Rio said, snarling when a man came to close to Airi and his hand twitched towards his Cutlass before he backed away from her. “Well you haven’t changed. So, what brings you fine young people here today?” Roan said, hand rubbing one of the girl’s shoulders almost nervously. Airi was silent as she handed Rio a piece of paper “you ordered booze for this place right? We’ve got fifteen hundred bottles for ya, they’re in warehouse five at the harbour”.

“Now this is what I’m talking about! What?! Tax sure has sure gone up on these, it’s killing me, how’s a brother supposed to make a dime? Shit!” Roan said, making Rio scowl in disgust. Shaking his head he involved Airi into the conversation “looks like you’re in for a rough ride, girly. You ever need anything, don’t be shy. Hell I would give you a job in two seconds.....”. Rio sneered at the afro haired man, ushering Airi towards the door “shut your mouth Roan, she doesn’t need to hear that shit from you! Don’t forget about the money alright?!”.

* * *

 

Next was Hotel Moscow and Rio and Airi both looked disgusted as they stood behind a completely miserable looking Balalaika as he edited amateur porn movies. “So the shipment’s going to be late is it? You could have told me that over the phone instead you came all the way here? Makes no difference I gotta finish fifteen of these today so I won’t be getting out of here anytime soon.  Yep, I shoulda gotten a part-timer to do it. I’m seriously losing my mind. I have a meeting tonight too; another idiot’s selling drugs without permission again. Oh if you guys hear anything about that I’d love it if you let me know, I’ll thank you properly. Maybe take you out to dinner Jasmine, show you that not all Roanopurar is about gun battles and death” Balalaika didn’t even have the energy to make his taunt even remotely serious sounding, yet Rio knew from the way he glanced at Airi out of the corner of his eye that he was telling the truth.

Airi looked very uncomfortable as the women on the screen’s cries grew louder, her cheeks had a slight pinkish hue and uneasy himself Rio put an arm around her back “yeah, if we hear anything, I’m sure we’ll be back pretty soon. I’ll skip on the taking me out to dinner part though” Airi’s shoulders shuddered slightly “good luck with the rest” she added hesitantly. The Russian Mobster sighed in pain “somebody shoot me” not impressed at all by the videos.

* * *

 

Lastly on their list Rio and Airi came to the Rip-Off Church, standing next to the Lagoon Companies car she watched Rio bang loudly on the chapel doors “hey you old bitch! It’s Rio from the Lagoon Company! Open this fucking door you old skank! Hello?!”. Airi raised an eyebrow as a parrot nearby copied what Rio was saying, laughing to herself when Rio squinted his eyes at it like he was planning on shooting it for its insolence. “You’ve always been too damn loud” a voice said from the side, a priest with purple sunglasses chewing gum loudly yelled at him, he lowered his glasses seeing the maroon haired man wasn’t alone while Airi just bowed slightly to him in greeting. “Just put those in the shed for now” the priest continued to someone behind him, and Airi tilted her head when a unsure voice replied “but these are clean items, are you sure that’s where you want them?”.

The priest popped his gun loudly “it’s okay, it’s what the Sister wanted”. Airi’s eye twitch when she saw this man too had a shoulder holster and a gun. “Hey! Two-Hands! That’s the chapel. I can’t let your kind walk through there, over here” he said pointing his thumb to the building behind him. Airi waited till Rio stalked to her side before following the blonde priest.

* * *

 

Inside Airi and Rio sat on a couch side-by-side while across from them an elderly nun sat with the priest who showed them in standing behind her back; face blank. “Oh my, this certainly is a surprise. I’d never thought I’d see the day when Dutchy-Boy would send you on an errand” the elderly Sister with an eye patch over her right eye said with quiet humour. Rio scowled at her, slumping in his seat but he never lost sight of any of the occupants in the room “that’s none of your business. Why don’t you tell us if you got the good’s we ordered, Sister?” he asked mockingly.

“Right, new items from Eastern Europe arriving by way of Cambodia. All but one item. Unfortunately we’re still waiting to receive the armoured thirty-seven grenade launcher you ordered” Rio narrowed his eyes at her, Airi going still hearing the chaos in his words “now don’t kid around, Sister. The reason we ordered everything through you is because we need all of those items for the next job”. The elderly Sister sighed “well frankly we do have the item it’s just that a different customer is saying they need it immediately. I’m sure you can see my dilemma here” she continued on after a pause “however, Lagoon is a good customer so I wouldn’t mind handing it over to you despite the inconvenience. But I’d like a better deal for us or a discount on your services”.

Rio leant back in his seat; seeing Airi tense out of the corner of his eye he said harshly “don’t fuck with us, Sister. Why don’t you do the smart thing and play this one by the book? So everyone will be happy” he touched his Cutlass “you wouldn’t wonna count your money with your feet would ya?”. The nun across from them lifted a tea cup to her lips “I wouldn’t make idle threats if I was you, young Rio. If you insist why don’t you bring Dutchy-Boy around?”. Growling Rio stood, his Cutlass pointing at the purple priest as he also pulled his gun out. “That’s all I have to say, there’s nothing before or after” the nun continued like nothing had happened. Rio growled, trying to hide his desperation on making sure Airi didn’t get involved “step off Edo, you limp-wristed bastard”. The priest identified as Edo wasn’t even popping his gum anymore “let’s see how much you talk with a hole in your head”.

The room was deathly quiet as Airi lifted her tea cup and took a sip “this is very good tea Sister..Sister..?”. The elderly nun blinked at her seeming to come out of a daze “It’s Sister Yolanda, young lady”. Airi smiled softly while they both ignored the gunmen still aiming at each other “it’s been a very long time since I’ve had tea that wasn’t from a tea bag. Is this W&N, or perhaps this is Fortnum and Mason?”. The nun looked impressed “my your very knowledgeable aren’t you? Your right this is W&M, there’s nothing nicer then a good cup of tea”. Airi smiled obligingly “yes, it takes a company with that kind of history and dedication to deliver such flavour without fail. That’s true for any company even if their products differ, am I right in saying that?”.

Sister Yolanda put down her tea cup, resting her chin atop her hands “I don’t quite see it, what exactly are you getting at young lady? Are you trying to imply it’s also true for illegal fire arms? I’m afraid we won’t have much of a negotiation if you get too hasty”. Airi crossed her legs elegantly “I’m talking about the drugs” both men in the room whipped their heads towards her “that’s what I’m getting at Sister. Lately drugs are being distributed outside the agreed upon routes. Did you know that? Sister? Hotel Moscow and other mafia in the city have made every effort to find the source. They’ve looked everywhere they could think of, but the culprits still haven’t been found. And that’s because there’s a blind spot. Somewhere they shouldn’t have to look” the Japanese women sipped her tea for a moment “For instance. Those that can freely cross boarders under the guise of the Church, or NGO members that don’t even know their being used as mules. It strikes me that these people are being over looked. Brother Edo?”. She glanced at him, a soft, un-accusing and harmless smile on her face “why did you have those men put the clean linens in the shed? Aren’t cleaned items normally taken to the living quarters?”.

Sister Yolanda sighed deeply “young lady, you can’t make statements based on mere conjecture. You make it sound like the stuffs coming out of this place”. Airi leant her back against the couch, putting down her tea cup silently “it’s just a hypothesis. Also, we could talk about weapon shipments. The amount of weapons entering and leaving this place, they don’t seem to ‘add up’ if you know what I mean. That’s easy to figure out with a little research. It was dangerously easy to see actually. One last thing. The Lagoon Company is of course on friendly terms with Hotel Moscow, but I wouldn’t say we necessarily work together either”.

The head nun chuckled, sitting back also and studying the Asian beauty before her “I see your point. Edo, this one’s very slick, and she makes a good point. Add the launcher to the list. Dutchy-Boy has a good eye. I can’t imagine where he found you” the room became quiet as loud church bells echoed around the grounds “It’s almost time for mass, I apologize but you’ll have to be on your way. Young lady? Come visit us again sometime soon”. Rio hesitated before putting his Cutlass away, and helping Airi up by the hand he held it all the way to the door before he past Edo on the way out “you got lucky this time”, yet he was secretly glad. If he was gonna have-at-it with the bastard, he wanted Airi at a safe distance away. It was too damn close today. “Go to hell you bastard” the priest with the purple sunglasses replied, his eyes hesitating on Airi before he turned away. “Young man? You better watch yourself with this young women, she’s too good to be stuck with you. You better make sure she doesn’t slip through your fingers. We’d be happy to let her in” Rio growled at Sister Yolanda, turning his back he spat “go fuck yourself” before he slammed the door.

* * *

 

Airi’s wide eyes were sparkling as she put two China bowels onto a table “we should have timed this a little better, its crowed!”. Rio’s hands were itching to hold his Cutlass’ as people everywhere were glancing at the two of them. Seemingly oblivious she pushed a bowel in front of him “let’s eat before it gets cold, it’s not often I get to taste someone else’s cooking. I wonder if they’ll give me the recipe?” she asked thoughtfully snapping apart some chopsticks. “I’m not hungry” Rio murmured, his muscles winding tighter-and-tighter by the second. “Try it, good food always makes you feel better. And since when are you not hungry?” Airi said laughing ignoring his mood. Rio puffed his cigarette “why don’t we grab these and just go home?”.  The Japanese women flipped her long hair over one shoulder and quietly slurped some noodles into her mouth “that’s not gonna happen. We’ve been couped up indoors when we’re not working since I came here, we need some air to breathe you know. You’ve been like this ever since the submarine. Was it our talk?”.

Rio growled, rage behind his eyes at the reminder “I told you, that conversation’s over”. Airi was suddenly serious, and she put down her chop sticks “Rio, I won’t apologise for having a life before I met you”. The maroon haired man was suddenly still, slowly he turned to face her “what was that?” he hissed. Airi emotionlessly glanced at him, even though under the table she was digging her nails into her thigh “I had a life before I met you Rio. Parents. Siblings. A boyfriend or two. Work in the mornings and eating out with friends at night. I need to feel the air on my skin; you can’t keep me locked in the office forever”.

Rio stomped his foot on his cigarette butt “I’m keeping you safe!”. Airi’s temper was slowly making its way onto her face “I’m not some fragile little girl Rio! I know exactly what this city is like! And I need to see the city I’m planning on living in with you! Hell it’ll be nice to get to know some people and not just be known as ‘Mrs Two-Hands’ for the rest of my life!”. Rio stood up, and with dead eyes filled with rage he leaned over the table growling when Airi didn’t back down “it’s better this way!”. Airi stood also, fists balled by her side’s her nails dug into her palm “how? By keeping me on a leash?”. Rio threw the tin of chopsticks down at his feet in anger, more angry at himself and his insecurities then her “because you’ll see something you’re not prepared to see and get scared, you’ll realise your too good for me and leave this city and me behind!”.

Airi picked up his white knuckled fist and held it between her own soft hands, her voice becoming soft and calm like usual “if you don’t want me to see the ugly side of things here, why don’t you just come with me and we’ll face it together? You coming with me isn’t the issue, it’s making me hide away from the dark side of your life. I want all of you, not just parts”. Rio stared down at her wide eyed, his fist’s unclenching and his hand’s tingled as the blood rushed back in. The Japanese women massaged his hand soothingly as he continued to stare down at her lost for words before he suddenly said, his voice back to its usual rough timbre, chaos just barely contained “I can’t just sit back and do nothing while I lose you”. Airi smiled up at him reassuringly “you won’t lose me as long as you’re always with me”. 

“Hey you two!”, a voiced yelled from behind them and Rio turned snarling “why don’t you mind your own fucking business?!”. They both suddenly realised the seats around them were empty and cops had surrounded them “surprise surprise, I hear someone’s making a ruckus at the market and it turns out to be you again. Rio this isn’t your private shooting gallery, flash your weapon and your rage and I’m the one whose gotta put out the fire”. Rio bared his teeth at him “isn’t that why we give you all those fat envelops? Do I complain to you about my job, Chief?”. The apparent Chief of Police sighed, tapping his bat against his shoulder “I’m not saying don’t do it, I’m just saying do it when nobodies gonna see ya. As long as you do that I don’t care if you kill people or play hide the apple for that matter. Out of sight, out of mind means I don’t have to cancel my golf dates and I can work on my short game in peace. Anyway I’m bringing you in, there’s paper work to be taken care of on our side”.

Airi stood besides Rio, picking up her bag patiently as he replied “fine by me”. The Chief walked them to a police cruiser, as Rio helped Airi in he said “hey Chief, don’t go stealing our car”. He snorted slamming the door “I don’t want that piece of shit. Come get it later”. As they drove away one police officer lit Airi a cigarette and she settled herself into Rio’s side comfortably “Hey Jaz. Just one thing. Let me ask you this. I just wonna know which side you wonna be on?”. Airi tilted her head back so it leant against his chest as he put an arm around her shoulders “me? I’m right here where I’m sitting Rio, by your side; I’m not going anywhere else”.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Published: Dec 13, 2011 on Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/~shinigami5910


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